The present disclosure generally relates to field effect transistors (FET), and particularly to carbon nanotube field effect transistors (CNTFETs).
In FETs, current flows along a semiconductor path called the channel. Source and drain electrodes are arranged at opposing ends of the channel. The physical diameter of the channel is fixed, but its effective electrical diameter is varied by applying a voltage to a control electrode called the gate. The FET's conductivity depends, at any given instant in time, on the channel's electrical diameter. A small change in gate voltage can cause large variations in the current from the source to the drain, which amplifies signals. FETs are constructed from various semiconductors, such as bulk silicon, and use a single crystal semiconductor wafer as the channel.
CNTFETs use a single CNT or an array of CNTs as the channel material. The achievable current must be comparable to silicon technology. Although semiconducting CNTs can conduct exceptionally high currents for their nanoscale diameter, their small size limits the current they can carry.